Mundane Gamer

Jaw Dropping CG Render of Guile from Street Fighter

2009-04-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

Extremely amazing artwork by the extremely talented artist, Michael Ryan Kime.

Call of Duty 5: Nacht der Untoten - Survival Guide

2008-12-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

For beating the Call of Duty: World at War campaign missions, you are rewarded with a bonus game mode, Nazi Zombies. In this mode, players are stationed in the bunker building on the Airfield map at night time, defending themselves from the risen corpses of their Nazi foes. Nacht der Untoten (Night of the Living Dead) is definitely one of the best zombie mods for a first person shooter that I've played to date.

I leave you with a few tips for survival against the hordes of undead.

Rule Number 1: Watch your six. Zombies are sneaky, especially the crawling ones, you never know when one (or ten) might be creeping up on you. You can repair broken fortifications with your back turned to them, so you can cover another entry point while you rebuild! Zombies will start breaking through the mortared wall in the Help Room at level 5, and on level 10, I suggest you get your butt upstairs!

Rule Number 2: Don't buy any weapons! Use your cash on the Mystery Box, in its rewarding void you will find the Ray Gun, MG42, and M2 Flamethrower, the essential weapons for survival. Hopefully you will luck out and get one or a combination of these weapons before you are overrun.

Rule Number 3: Don't buy the stairs in the starting room! When you have to move upstairs, the circular stairs in the main room are a floodgate for zombies, and can easily force you into a corner you don't want to be in.

Rule Number 4: Watch the round counter vigilantly. When a teammate dies, sprint with them to gather new weapons downstairs at the ending of one round and the beginning of the next. You only have time for one person to try the Mystery Box one time before you have to sprint back upstairs, so hurry up and be careful.

Rule Number 5: Use your power-ups wisely. Reload before nabbing a Max Ammo. Eliminate as many zombies as possible before using a Bomb. Switch to your crappy automatic or bolt action if you can while you have Instant Kill.

Hopefully you will last a few more rounds now that you know what's required to fend off the never ending tide of ... Nazi Zombies!

Halo Xbox 360 Achievement - Killionaire

2008-12-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

Stumbled on this video of a guy getting a legitimate Killionaire (not in Grifball mode) ... pretty intense, thought I'd share it with you guys!

Fixing Fable 2 Freeze Issues

2008-12-13T11:21:00.000-08:00

Not even ten minutes after I had gotten home and popped in my Fable 2 disc, played through the cute little intro, witnessed my poor little sister get shot, and then as he shot me too and I broke through the glass ... I seemed to just hover there. Midair. What was going on? Was I going to do some cool time shift manipulation or something?

Nope. Fable 2 froze. I hadn't noticed the music had stopped as well. Well, I ejected the disc and checked for any scratches ... just as it should be, there were no scratches, I had bought the game new. Lame.

Well, turns out that the patch issued through Xbox Live is defective, some issues with Multiplayer, read about it at the Lionhead Forums.

Some people have been able to resolve the issue by turning off "Multiplayer Orbs" in the Fable 2 game settings, but most people, including myself, have fixed it by clearing the cached content on the xbox 360. Doing so deletes the corrupted patch, enabling crash-free game play.

Hope this was of help to anyone else who had the freezing issue!

Clear Your Xbox 360's Cache

2008-12-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

If for some reason you want to play the original release version of your game disc, without the updated content provided through Xbox Live, or in some cases, a patch will cause your game to act in a manner that it was not meant to do (Xbox 360 Fable 2 Freezing Issues) ...

Here is what to do. Go to your System Settings tab under My Xbox on the Xbox Dashboard. Highlight the storage unit whose cached content you would like to clear, and press Y.

When the next window comes up, press X X LB RB X X. Once you do, a window comes up saying system maintenance is performed, and will close itself upon completion.

Clearing your Xbox 360's cached content deletes saved games as well as software updates downloaded via Xbox Live.

How To Get The 5 Hardest Xbox 360 Achievements

2008-12-09T23:01:00.001-08:00

Here are what some claim to be the hardest Xbox 360 achievements to ... achieve. I still believe that the most difficult achievements come from some of the really hard games that have an even higher, unlockable, harder level than what is initially available to you. I'm not saying these achievements aren't difficult though, they are. I had to pretty much replicate the actions of the narrator in the Call of Duty 4 achievement, and I guess since I said that, we'll start with it.

Call of Duty 4 - Mile High Club

Dead Rising - 7 Day Survivor
Dead Rising's featurette is 16 videos long, so why don't you head on over to the full Dead Rising - 7 Day Survival Guide post?

Zuma HD - Sharpshooter
FF to 6:00. Getting this achievement is pure luck, the marbles have to be lined up perfectly for you from the start.

Alien Hominid HD - Head Chomper

Honestly though, the achievement that was most difficult for me was the Pacifist or Survive 1,000,000 achievements on Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.

Dead Rising: 7 Day Survival Guide

2008-12-09T22:22:00.001-08:00

The 7 Day Survivor achievement in Dead Rising is considered by many to be one of the hardest achievements on the Xbox 360. YouTube user HankBaskett84 breaks toughing out these zombie killing (and sleepless) hours in a 16 segment video slaying instructional. Enjoy.

Hope you enjoyed, now try to go to sleep! If you can, with your now tender and throbbing knuckles. (Or, you could have read Dr. Newcenstein's Non-Confrontational 7 Day Survivor Guide and avoided most Psychos and Survivors ... whoops, did I forget to mention that?)

Gamer Gear: Legend of Zelda Hoodie

2008-12-09T21:53:00.000-08:00

So, you're probably wondering what this whole Gamer Gear thing is about, right? Well, it'll become a periodical (most likely weekly, or bi-weekly) where the Mundane Gamer will feature game related merchandise (usually apparel or accessories, game and otherwise) that we think might turn your head. Well, with that, on to the first order of business.

I'm definitely putting this hoodie on my Christmas wish-list this holiday season ... this ultra savvy looking (officially licensed, too) sweatshirt sports a collage of historic figures and symbols from the Legend of Zelda games in a nice, indie hipster style. Plus, brown is one of my favorite colors. Whachagonnadonow? Order the Legend of Zelda Collage Hoodie now, of course!

Mario Mayhem Mega Mashup

2008-12-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Since you haven't had your dose of Mario Mayhem in quite a while, I bring you today an ultra giga mega mashup of tons of super awesome Mario links and content!

Students Pay Homage To Super Mario 3 w/ Push Pins & Billboard

3D Overworld (Mario World) Wallpaper

The Many Mustaches of Mario

Casemod - Xbox 360 Portable

2008-12-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

It looks like a laptop, but it's not really a LAPTOP. Plus, I don't think you'd want that hunk of metal crushing your junk or melting your family jewels, now would you? But anyways, to the point. Ben Heck takes conventional case modification to the next level with this version of Microsoft's gaming console that is enough to make any Xbox owner (or otherwise) jealous. You're not getting your hands on this one any time soon, either. It was a commissioned project for a private client of his, a one time deal. Xbox 360 Portable features an easily accessible hard drive bay for ease of upgrade/removal, built in Wi-Fi connectivity, integrated audio, and LCD screen.

Check It Out: http://benheck.com/12-02-2008/new-xbox-360-portable

Man Uses Cardboard Box to Sneak Out of Prison!

2008-11-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

Snake would be proud of this one ... a 42 year old Turkish citizen was serving time in a German prison for trafficking narcotics, and broke out of said German prison by use our favorite gaming espionage tactic / device, the cardboard box. He was making stationery with other inmates, and at the end of his shift climbed into the box. Sure as anything; neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stopped the courier from loading up that box into the back of the truck with all the others that were being shipped out that day. After the truck had passed the prison perimeters, the inmate broke out of the box and tore a hole in the truck's tarp and made his escape.

BBC Coverage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7730018.stm

Rare Dropping Hints of Upcoming Sequels?

2008-11-16T21:57:00.000-08:00

If you've been playing through Rare's new Banjo Kazooie game for the Xbox 360, you might have found yourself in front of this screen, watching this game of Pong, reading this easter egg:

ZEGADS! New Battletoads, new Jet Force Gemini, and new Killer Instinct games in the works? Definitely a trifecta of games any gamer would love to play. Oh yeah, and even Ghouls 2!

I'm especially stoked for another Killer Instict. C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!

EndWar for PC delayed due to Piracy ...

2008-11-14T22:30:00.001-08:00

Tom Clancy's EndWar is being delayed because, and I quote: “To be honest, if PC wasn’t pirated to hell and back, there’d probably be a PC version coming out the same day as the other two.”

EndWar is a real time strategy of an epic nature. It's a totally (well, mostly) voice controlled game, from a commander's perspective. You align yourself with the Americans, Europeans, or Russians, and go head to head against your enemies to the ultimate goal of world domination. You win skirmishes and win territories for your factions. If you loved Command and Conquer, Starcraft, Warcraft, Warhammer, and other games like this, you're in for the treat of your life. Imagine an extreme cross between Risk and Axis & Allies, but instead of rolling dice you're playing the voice controlled real time strategy game.

What's totally cool is there is no voice training time, you can pick up your headset and go!

CALLING ALL UNITS ATTACK ENEMY!

Free 128MB Xbox 360 Memory Card

2008-10-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

If you're eligible for Microsoft's Xbox 360 "Memory Upgrade Program" ... then they'll send you a free 128MB Memory Card for you to use to get connected to Xbox LIVE!

You just check your Xbox 360 system console for your Console Serial Number and Console ID, Microsoft verifies if you're qualified for the freebie, and if you are, they send it to you!

http://www.xboxstorageupgrade.com/hh/web/home/hhauthentication.jsp

Mine's on the way!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Black Lightsaber

2008-10-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

If you want to unlock that neat looking black colored light saber (Dark Saber, anyone? Personally I prefer the standard Jedi Blue or Sith Red for my lightsaber.) look no further! This video will take you right to the Holocron that contains the Black Lightsaber Crystal. Some tricky jumping and dashing is involved, and might take you two or three tries to get it.

The Jedi Holocron that contains the Black Lightsaber Crystal is in one of the last areas on the last Force Unleashed level, the Death Star. Make your way through the level, up the laser beam shaft, and to the repulsor beam lifts. It's actually at the very top of this room, so power the lifts and ride one of them to the top of the level and then follow the video!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Black Lightsaber Crystal Location

(Please excuse the music if you're not a fan of the genre, I didn't make it.)

Mario Mayhem Continues!

2008-10-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Back again with our second installment of the Mario Mayhem column, bringing the best of all the 'mazing Mario madness to your computer!

Play Flash-Based Mario Games Online

Super Mario Games hosts a variety of different types of Mario themed games, from Tetris type games, to Mario quizzes, Mario card games, fan remakes of classic Mario side scrollers, and more! Head on over to supermariogames.biz to check them out.

NES Cartridge Retro Gaming Art

Not only is this amazing Mario related art, if you check out the rested of the NES Cartridge Art at Hush Monkey Studios, I think your jaw might drop a couple times. HMS brings retro gamer art to a whole new creative level, and some of the pieces have been featured in Nintendo Power magazine!

Super Mario Frustration (The Forgotten Level)

If you've ever seen the YouTube video of the insanely hard Super Mario Brothers level that you probably have never played, well you're in luck! Get prepared to waste hours and hours and hours and hours of your life wondering how the schmuck in the video actually completed it!

ROM Download: http://www.terranwolf.com/main/random_stuff/%5Bterranwolf.com%5D_Mario_Forever.rar
JNES Download: http://jabosoft.com/?downloadid=209
Note: You must play this ROM with JNES for it to work.

Hope we satisfied your Mario cravings, at least for a little while ... keep your eyes open for the next issue of Mario Mayhem!

Are You Ready For The Force Unleashed?

2008-09-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

Darth Vader's hidden apprentice, Starkiller, is a Sith assassin with expertise like no other before him, truly living up to his chosen name.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed comes out Tuesday, September 16, are you ready?

Guitar Hero for PC - Frets On Fire

2008-09-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

You've played Guitar Hero, you've played Rock Band, now experience it on your computer!

Frets On Fire is an open source project that is pretty much a recreation of the Guitar Hero series for the PC.

Use your keyboard to play through the songs and get as many points as possible!

Download: Frets On Fire

Let the Mario Mayhem Begin!

2008-08-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves Mario, and there's always some new fan art, fan produced game, fan WHATEVER that comes out pretty much every day that any Mario fan should see. So, I'll try to bring you some awesome Mario content every time Mundane Gamer's periodical Mario Mayhem mashup comes around.

So, with that, let's get to what you really want to see. You want the dirt on that sexy plumber in the red suit, don't you.

Rube Goldberg - esque Mario Levels / Perpetual Mario Machines

Some people go to extreme lengths to create custom Mario levels that are completely automated. You load the level, and Mario plays through the whole level on his own, relying solely on game mechanics, obstructions, and monsters to get him through. Pretty ingenious stuff, actually.

組曲『ニコニコ動画』　
by Ryumario

Perpetual Mario Machine 1

Perpetual Mario Machine 2

Perpetual Mario Machine 3

Real Life Piranha Flower

I'd wouldn't keep that near anything flammable if I were that homeowner.

Super Mario Forever

Probably the best fan made/produced Mario game to date. Extremely in depth, beating Super Mario Forever is sure to bring back old memories, and make some good new ones.

Download: Super Mario Forever

Keep your eyes peeled for the next Mario Mayhem mashup, and more of your favorite red clad game hero.

The New Face of Lara Croft, the Tomb Raider

2008-08-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Eidos Interactive Ltd., one of the fewest game companies to have such a large stock in as many "greatest hits" titles as they do (Excuse me, "greatest hits" series is what I meant to say,) has chosen a new front woman for the role of Lara Croft. Alison Carroll, the woman named for the position, is a world renowned gymnast, and has the perfect assets (brain, beauty, and brawn) for the job Eidos has set out for her.

Check out these YouTube videos of motion capture sessions with the new Lara Croft!

The Gamer's Bill of Rights

2008-08-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon an article on Stardock's website, The Gamer's Bill of Rights, that really sums up what I believe (and what I believe that the general gamer population believes) I should expect to receive when I purchase and play a game.

Check it out.

1. Gamers shall have the right to return games that don’t work with their computers for a full refund.
2. Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.
3. Gamers shall have the right to expect meaningful updates after a game’s release.
4. Gamers shall have the right to demand that download managers and updaters not force themselves to run or be forced to load in order to play a game.
5. Gamers shall have the right to expect that the minimum requirements for a game will mean that the game will play adequately on that computer.
6. Gamers shall have the right to expect that games won’t install hidden drivers or other potentially harmful software without their consent.
7. Gamers shall have the right to re-download the latest versions of the games they own at any time.
8. Gamers shall have the right to not be treated as potential criminals by developers or publishers.
9. Gamers shall have the right to demand that a single-player game not force them to be connected to the Internet every time they wish to play.
10. Gamers shall have the right that games which are installed to the hard drive shall not require a CD/DVD to remain in the drive to play.

Enable "Ultra High" Graphic Setting in Valve Games

2008-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

If you're a graphics junkie and the graphics quality in the newest games from Valve just isn't doing it for you ... try this console command to toggle the "Ultra High" graphics setting in games like Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source, Team Fortress 2, and Portal.

Hit the 'tilde' key (~) to bring up the console, and enter in the command 'mat_picmip -3' to boost the graphics quality up to "Ultra High" quality. If you think your computer's hardware can handle the load, you can decrease the value further. If your computer slows to a crawl, or even comes to a jarring halt, change the value back to a higher number.

Check out these side by side visual comparisons of the different graphics compression levels:

Metroid Fan Art - Dying Samus

2008-07-29T20:23:00.001-07:00

Really interesting and well done piece of fan art that I found on StumbleUpon today, Metroid enthusiasts will enjoy.

DIY: Palm PS2

2008-07-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

I love DIY mods that turn console systems into handhelds, and this mod is one of the best ones for one of my favorite systems, the PlayStation 2.

Mad props, Mr. Gardiner.

Palm PS2: http://www.palmps2.com/palmps2/index.html

Which Gaming Platform Should I Buy?

2008-07-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

Guide yourself through this simple diagram, and you will have the answer. :)

I'll stick with my PC.